(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mike Yamada. The narrator torments his sister Alice with his "bad guy" tactics (chasing her; dumping spaghetti on her head to eat her "brain"). He enjoys this identity and resents being told to "play nice." The surprise ending upends gender stereotypes and shows there's a fellow bad guy around. The entertaining digital illustrations bounce from typical family scenes to imaginative depictions of the narrator's wild schemes.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(4) PS Illustrated by Mike Yamada. In this sentimental poem, a mother bear describes her expansive love for her cub, comparing her feelings to characteristics of large, preschooler-prized vehicles. Her love is "longer than the longest train," "stronger than the strongest excavator," "taller than the tallest crane," and so on. The rhythmic quatrains are accompanied by agreeable digital illustrations of the bears riding in big machines.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(4) PS Illustrated by Mike Yamada. Pumper truck Kai joins the firefighting crew, but the other trucks don't think he's capable because he's small and green instead of big and red. During a big fire, his size proves valuable, and he earns everyone's respect. The digital illustrations are reminiscent of television cartoons and include many smiling trucks. The story is surprisingly wordy, and the firetrucks' captain speaks in odd rhymes.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) PS Illustrated by Mike Yamada. "'Bedtime?' 'Not yet.'" A boy and his daddy go on a series of quick adventures before bed. Each new imaginative spree builds to a turn of the page: "A race car...a driver... / his pedal-to-the-metal!" The simple patterned text and cheerful digital illustrations capture the joy of imagination--and the challenge of turning it off to go to sleep.

Reviewer: Dorrie Karlin